談山神社

10.08.2010

A Good season for reading

Now, the nights are getting longer and a good season to read books has come. In advance of Autumn, I read 8 books during Summer in this year. So, I will introduce and rate them by my dogma and prejudice.
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classified list (by my way)
If you don't read it, you will not get something-------------＊＊＊＊＊
very good--------------------------------------------------------＊＊＊＊
average or good ------------------------------------------------＊＊＊
you need not to read--------------------------------------------＊＊
I can't understand at all-----------------------------------------＊

＜容疑者Xの献身＞ by 東野圭吾＊＊＊
This is a kind of mystery. In spite of a wizard at math, he is a math teacher in a high school. But he committed murder for a woman who he love unilaterally. It's a perfect crime and he didn't ask any return to her. Can she respond with his devotion to her? But his passion and devotion could not overcome her moral sense. A physicist (Fukuyama Masaharu played in the movie in 2008) solves this mystery.

＜竜馬がゆく（７）（８）＞ by 司馬遼太郎＊＊＊＊＊Ryoma Sakamoto worked for Taiseihokan (大政奉還）very much and wrote something like draft of Gokajyono-goseimon(五箇条のご誓文））. He says "Being born for us means achieving something". He and shishi(志士） devoted their lives for Japan. Those serious era made their sense of responsibility or cooperation stronger. I didn't known after Satuma-Cyosyu domei (薩長同盟）. When he was young he was looking for how he should do Japan and he walked long way, saw new things, heard about new world, ponder,and found his way.

＜カラフル＞by 森 絵都＊＊＊＊
A junior high school boy died but his soul got a chance to stay at another boy's (Shin) body who committed suicide for a year. Shin's body revives with the boy's soul and the boy's soul sees Shin's miserable life that is bullied at school objectively. But the soul thinks Shin's life easy because of temporary homestay. Even if we have a trouble in our mind , we may be able to find its solution by thinking things like this soul. Everyone lives with theirown colors..........This makes our soul release.

＜Terre Des Hommes＞ by Antoine de Saint-Exupery人間の土地 via堀口大学translation ＊＊＊
This is written by a pilot who carried mails from Toulouse in France to Casablanca in Morocco or Dakar or some places. In those days planes sometimes crashed. So this pilot teaches us human marvelous in exchange for his life. What is human nature? What is human dignity? What is human truth?
Where does strong human responsibilities idea come from? When can we feel happy? What is meaning of living? ..........? But this gives us warmth or charming of human being.

He carried mails by planes like this.

This is a map from a satellite. He crashed in the Sahara Desert. And he disappeared in the Mediterranean sea.

＜Out of The Silent Planet> by C.S.Lewis ＊＊＊沈黙の惑星を離れて マラカンドラ via 中村妙子translation
Our existence is so tiny for a split second compare with universe. How can we live under unavoidable destiny? Humankind may not be able to live on the Earth someday. But though prof. Weston wants to continue human DNA, he planed to hijack a planet is called Marakandra in case of that day. And he tried to hand over prof.Ransom to creatures in Marakandra. On the other, prof. Ransom is taken to Marakandra by prof.Weston and meets a lot of creatures there and appreciates their society. And he lives as a moral human under his destiny.There are supernatural forces that I allow it may be possible or myth C.S.Lewis think in this story. But even if Weston find a planet that no creatures live without any sacrifice, should it be blamed,too? Or thinking of pioneering includes science or something materials is already immoral? Although C.S.Lewis criticized imperialism. This story is difficult for me.

Mars

＜Perelandra＞by C.S.Lewis ＊＊＊ビィーナスへの旅 via中村妙子translation
This story is the second story in SF trilogy. " Out of The Silent Planet" is the first one. A naked green lady lives with animals on the beautiful planet is called Perelandra. She doesn't feel inconvenient. Prof.Ransom is sent there by Oyarusa who governs space. Prof. Weston landed this planet,too , he is a thing like a snake entered a paradise and he advises the lady to wear feather and teaches about independence. Prof. Ransom tries to stop Weston from approaching and teaching her his philosophy. But independence is good, isn't it?Ransom fights against fear and wins. But this story is difficult for me,too.

A couple of an American man and a Japanese woman work in UNHCR. Though they get married but he applys to be sent to Zaire or Afghanistan so they can't live together only about 25 days in 7 years of their married life. She asks him that their life is as same as a plastic-seat is flied. And he dies in Afghanistan, protecting a local girl. I didn't know about UNHCR well. Which is important the best among money, life, family? At the end she thinks under the cherry blossoms that Japan is peace and peace is beautiful as such, she wishes this beauty and wonderfulness continue forever and homeland keeps plastic-seats on the ground firmly, keeps resisting against rough-wind. And she applys to be sent to Afghanistan. This young person's love to homeland makes me move. This was aired on TV,too.

8 件のコメント:

Sarari, you do really interesting thing, the evaluation of the books according to your own criteria. You always look enjoying extensive reading. For me, "Terre des Hommes" is five-stars, it will be my all time favorite.

This year's summer was miserably hot, so it was a good opportunity to read books at home or in the library. It's a beautiful day today! Our autumn really makes up for the heat of summer.

Thank you comment,Stardust. Really, after I read about "Terre des Hommes" on your blog, when I was wandering a book store I happened to find the book. This book teaches us warmth of human but it's a little bit difficult to understand for me. So it's three-stars according to my dogma and prejudice.

＜風に舞いあがるビニールシート＞ sounds pretty depressing. Why does the man protect a local girl, when he should be protecting his wife? I think his priorities are wrong. Thanks for introducing some Japanese novels. Because of the language barrier, Japanese novels tend not to be as well known as English ones.

Thank you comment,Marc. If this man thinks that UNHCR is more important than his wife, he shoud not have get married like you say, I think,too. Of course his humanitarianism is great. But it's easy to understand her patriotism for me because she connects peace and cherry blossom.

Thank you comment Snowwhite. Yes, I watch some events about his birthday and the anniversary of his death on TV.Of course, they are same days in the lunar calendar. NHK's Ryoma is going to finish soon,isn't it? I enjoyed Ryoma this year.

Somehow I was so much inspired and impressed by the book by Shiba Ryotaro, the interest in the TV version of Ryoma has worn away.I am never an extensive reader, but I know books give me a lot of things.

江ノ電

Babies of Japanese bush warbler

yokohama

Ono-temple

Ukimi-do

setubun-mantoro

on-maturi

Alhambra palace

フォロワー

自己紹介

I'm a Japanese woman, was raised in Osaka. Now I live in Nara Which is an ancient city of Japan. Practicing English is one of my hobbies, even though my English is not that good but still I'd like to continue learning English.